Posted 3/29/14 – A 5.1 earthquake shook through Sierra Madre last night, rocking us with a good jolt followed by some rolling for several seconds afterward. The quake, reported by the USGS as being centered 1 km South of La Habra, appears to have left Sierra Madre undamaged, though in the light of day there’s always the possibility that things unseen in the dark may appear. Also, as daylight comes and hikers hit the trail, rock slides are liable to be discovered, so if you’re hitting the trails, be alert for blockages on the trails.
Watch Commander Sgt. Joe Ortiz of Sierra Madre PD reports that through the night officers checked for damage throughout town and at significant structures/locations. In particular they were concerned about damage to water mains, but as of 5:35am, none had been discovered.
The quake was preceded by a 3.6 foreshock an hour and six minutes prior to the 5.1 shaker that hit at 9:09pm, and followed just two minutes later by a 3.4 temblor. Since then, the USGS earthquake website is showing there have been 9 aftershocks of 2.5 magnitude or more in the Southland, mostly in or around Brea and La Habra, the most recent as of this writing being a 2.5 shaker at 5:04am, just about 45 minutes ago.
This shake follows a 4.4 magnitude earthquake that shook SoCal on St. Patrick’s Day, less than two weeks ago. Scientists from Cal Tech have discussed the possibility that these earthquakes might be foreshocks to a larger quake yet to come. Here are some things you can do to prepare for an earthquake: http://www.ready.gov/earthquakes?qt-view__field_tabs_view__default__331=2.